gretsaw908

I am a complete newbie when it comes to electronics and the arduino. recently i went out and purchased a arduino uno, parallax serial LCD and a solderless breadboard. How do i go about connecting the LCD to the arduino? Are there any solderless options? thanks for your time and help!

NickPyner

If you have what I see when google parallax serial lcd, I submit that, not only have you made the worst possible choice, you have paid about four times as much as you should have done for the pleasure.

Not only that, you are now faced with more soldering that you would like to know.

I suggest you put it in the bottom drawer, you may be able to use it later, and get an LCD shield off eBay. This will cost less than half what you paid for the device you have, and simply plugs into the Uno - no soldering required. By adopting this approach you are actually taking advantage of one of the great assets of the Arduino system, instead of working against it.

And guess what? You can then put the breadboard in the bottom drawer too.

The breadboard will surely be of use in the future, but it would be a better idea to send the LCD back for a refund if you can. I believe that sort of LCD is probably more trouble than it is worth.

TinselKoala

Oh it hurts to read these non-responsive replies. I sure hope I get better "help" when I need it.

YES, the Parallax LCD, 2 lines x 16 characters with backlight and speaker, three pins on the back, is EASY TO USE WITH ARDUINO.And there is ABSOLUTELY NO SOLDERING REQUIRED.

Sorry to shout but it seems that the s/n ratio here is really poor. :~

Here is some signal for you: the Parallax LCD requires only three wires, +5V, Ground, and Signal. The signal pin is assigned in the program sketch. You need the Arduino IDE, you need the ParallaxLCD library from here:

https://github.com/iamthechad/parallax_lcd

You can use the speaker to play tunes or beeps, you can make your own special characters, and you can use all of the library functions in the ParallaxLCD library with your Arduino, very easily.

Here is the example code from the library that shows how easy it is to use the Parallax LCD with your Arduino.

Is it common on this forum to get a whole page of non-answers and actual _wrong_ information (lots of soldering? ) before someone actually addresses the question asked?

There are lots of videos on YT showing the Parallax LCD with Arduino. My current project is a SousVide crockpot PID temperature controller, using the Parallax LCD for data readout, settings, beeps, alarms, etc. Here's my video showing some of the calibration.

Oh it hurts to read these non-responsive replies. I sure hope I get better "help" when I need it.

For a minute there I thought you were the original poster. We asked him for a link to his LCD so we could help him better. Is that so unreasonable?

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Is it common on this forum to get a whole page of non-answers and actual _wrong_ information (lots of soldering? smiley-yell ) before someone actually addresses the question asked?

Not at all. However it is quite common for people to ramble on through about 6 or 7 posts without providing a link to their hardware, a copy of their code, a photo of their setup, a description of the exact problem, and what happened compared to what they expect.

I suggest you moderate your tone. I note this is your first post here. Taking the opportunity to attack forum members who are trying to help is not a good start.

Please post technical questions on the forum, not by personal message. Thanks!

TinselKoala

Oh it hurts to read these non-responsive replies. I sure hope I get better "help" when I need it.

For a minute there I thought you were the original poster. We asked him for a link to his LCD so we could help him better. Is that so unreasonable?

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Is it common on this forum to get a whole page of non-answers and actual _wrong_ information (lots of soldering? smiley-yell ) before someone actually addresses the question asked?

Not at all. However it is quite common for people to ramble on through about 6 or 7 posts without providing a link to their hardware, a copy of their code, a photo of their setup, a description of the exact problem, and what happened compared to what they expect.

I suggest you moderate your tone. I note this is your first post here. Taking the opportunity to attack forum members who are trying to help is not a good start.

So I post a copy of the example code, a video showing my Parallax LCD working with Arduino, a link to the ParallaxLCD Arduino library, on my first post..... I suppose I should have rambled on for six or seven posts then.

I came here looking for help with a problem I am having. I found this thread and the "non replies" to a simple question that could have been easily and quickly answered by the next poster. But I find some very disparaging comments and untruths about the Parallax LCD, like "lots of soldering needed" and "put it away in a drawer" and "googling I find.....blah blah blah." Well, googling "parallax LCD", look what comes up at the top of the list (image attached).

I am not attacking "forum members who are trying to help". There is no attempt to help, before my post. Just comments knocking the choice of displays (the easiest one by far to use, with a speaker and backlight to boot) and comments about other displays and misstatements of fact. The only help that the OP got is from me.

So you attack ME for my tone. That is typical.

Me coming here for help with a problem of my own, and finding this thread as the one most closely related to my issue..... is indeed not a good start. A more appropriate response from YOU would be to thank me for my troubles and for actually answering and helping the OP with his or her issue, rather than attacking the choice of displays in the first place, and secondly attacking ME when I post the answers sought.

TinselKoala

Oh it hurts to read these non-responsive replies. I sure hope I get better "help" when I need it.

With that attitude, I somehow doubt it.

'Koala' suggests the Antipodes - you're not related to TyTower or April, by any chance, are you?

No I am not. I live in San Antonio, Texas, USA, rather far from any podes, anti or otherwise, and my nick is an anagram of my mother's maiden name, Kate Allison.

(among other anagrams)

Now.... you can view me as a resource, and put up with me calling a "spade" a spade, or you can ignore me, ban me, whatever. I will continue to write code and use Arduinos in my projects nevertheless. But apparently I have more answers than you do.

Here is the further development of my TK SousDuino PID slow cooker, using the Parallax LCD display with an Uno clone .... with its three wires, no soldering required for hookup, and easily programmable functionality including speaker and backlight. The program sketch is linked in the video description on YT. Take it... or leave it.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuaCp4dc9EM

TinselKoala

So... Nick Gammon, moderator.... you send me a PM but you block me from replying? But you allow the lie about "soldering required" for the Parallax Serial LCD to remain?

I laugh at you and your silly forum. Goodbye.

(What I said --or tried to say--- in my response to you is that I have a YT channel, on which I can say what I like, and on which I will describe my experience here..... since you have threatened to ban me and I'm sure you will be removing my posts which answered the OP's question.... exerting your censorship. You could have used me as a valuable resource, but now you have made me your enemy, and I will be speaking about it.)

dhenry

I hope your experience had been better. But this is a lesson to learn how important it is to read people and talk to those whom you can talk to and not those whom you cannot talk to. This place is no exception.

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lie

To prove a lie, you have to prove an intention. I would submit that it is very difficult for you to prove someone't intent to mislead. People may not submit the "correct" information, per your judgement but there is no assurance 1) your judgment is the right judgment and 2) they had the intent to mislead.

Since you are more experienced with forum admin, is it common to see newbies exhibiting newbie shock[1]?

[1] The shock felt by an experienced person well respected in his own circles (in job, family, other forums) becoming a newbie in a different circle. They either get agitated easily and become argumentative and hostile when they feel treated as a newbie.

There must be a proper English term for this. I felt this fellow has this symptom. I also saw someone else (newbie again) having similar symptom, wouldn't post code or picture but stressing on self being experienced. I have only be heavily involved in two forums so I don't know if this is common.